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    Mirchi Tales » Recipes » Ramadan

    Ramadan meal planner + FREE sehri and iftar menu

    Published: May 23, 2018 · Modified: Mar 20, 2023 by Kiran

    A Ramadan meal planner that will help you plan your meals in this holy month. Plus there is a FREE sample menu guideline for sehri/suhoor, iftar and dinner.

    Ramadan is the 9th month in the Islamic calendar, and every day during this month, Muslims around the world spend the daylight hours in a complete fast by abstaining from food & drink from sunrise (Suhoor/sehri) to sunset (Iftar). Not only do Muslims have to fast, but they also have to stay away from any sinful behaviour or speech and spend more time in prayer. Ramadan teaches Muslims to practise self-discipline & develop empathy for those who are less unfortunate.

    Though Ramadan is focused on spirituality, it is a festive month knowing that across the world, millions of Muslims are following a similar routine, regardless of geographic location. There is a joy to this month with the entire family gathering (at least in Muslim countries which reduce working hour) and breaking the fast together. There are certain dishes that are made only in Ramadan (hello pakoras, laal sherbet and fruit chaat!). However, the objective of the month can be taken over by the preparation of meals for iftar, sehri and well dinner. More so with the traditional Pakistani Iftar being heavily focused on fried items.

    I love having fried items for Ramadan, especially crispy fried pakoras. Over the years I have realized that not only are they fattening but they take SO much time. They also can’t be made in advance, so whoever is frying the last batch of pakoras is usually standing in the kitchen when it’s time for Maghrib azaan.

    A Ramadan meal planner that will help you plan your meals in this holy month. Plus there is a FREE sample menu guideline for sehri/suhoor, iftar and dinner.

    Why is it important to make a Ramadan meal planner?

    That is precisely why it’s essential to do Ramadan menu planning, coming up with a system that the entire family enjoys but does not require hours in the kitchen. A menu plan that focuses on a balanced diet that includes items from all major food groups – bread or cereals, milk & dairy products, meat, fish or other protein, fruits and vegetables and fat & sugars. We are fasting from sunrise to sunset, and it is necessary to refrain from over-indulging and eat food that will give us much needed nutrition. Feeling weak the next day after having a heavy iftar & skipping dinner is not because you are fasting but because you haven’t eaten properly!

    To make deciding what to cook in this month easy, I made a Ramadan meal planner with options on how to plan sehri and iftar along with dinner. Use it as a guideline to pick and choose options based on family preferences. Screenshot, save or print a copy to keep it with you. Below are some guidelines that I follow for this plan.

    • Organize the rest of the meal in reference to the items served at iftar. If serving a heavy iftar with fried items, make sure that the rest of the items are healthy like salads, fruit chat, beans (cholay, lobia or rajmah), dahi baray etc. Alternatively, serve a light iftar (pakora and chicken patties)with 2-3 basic items and then a family style dinner meal like pizza, singaporean rice, biryani, or similar one-pot/casserole style dish.
    • Choose menu items that complement each other. For instance, dahi baray, chole and boiled potatoes can be eaten on their own and also made into a chaat with imli chutney and papri.
    • Limit the amount of fried items at Iftar; only keep 1-2 items at a time so the cravings are indulged without going over-board. Alternatively, use healthy cooking methods like shallow frying, grilling, baking or an air-fryer.
    • Use kitchen towel/tissue paper for soaking up excess oil – do not use newspaper as the ink contains lead which is toxic.
    • The Sehri meal needs to nutritious and wholesome to provide the body fuel during the day. A combination of items such as eggs, grains, meat along with dairy products, fruit and nuts will result in a balanced meal. For instance, roti with eggs and a milkshake with some grapes is a meal that is light and yet fulfills almost all food groups.
    • Eating too much at Sehri will be counter-productive and cause indigestion and bloating. Avoid having rich and oil laden foods like nihari and paye. Drink water but slowly and steadily to avoid bloating. Do have a cup of tea, but limit intake since tea contains caffeine that can cause water loss in the body resulting in thirst.
    • There is no need to add variety just for social media pictures. If your family is happy eating certain items on a daily basis, just make those regularly.

    Check out other posts in my Ramadan series below:

    1. My complete list of Ramadan and Eid recipes on the blog can be found here
    2. Click HERE for tips on how to prepare for Ramadan and eat healthy in the month.
    3. Click HERE for a collection of 19 make-ahead recipes in Ramadan
    4. Click HERE for a guide on how to host an Iftar party plus sample menus

    Ramadan Menu Planner for Iftar and Suhoor / Sehri

    A Ramadan meal planner that will help you plan your meals in this holy month. Plus there is a FREE sample menu guideline for sehri/suhoor, iftar and dinner.

     

    A Ramadan meal planner that will help you plan your meals in this holy month. Plus there is a FREE sample menu guideline for sehri/suhoor, iftar and dinner.

    What is your standard sehri, iftari and dinner menu? Let me know in the comments below!

    To keep updated with recipes, stories and so much more follow me on Facebook here, Instagram here and Twitter here

    More Ramadan

    • A bowl of chaat masala with a spoon in it, on a white plate.
      Homemade Chaat Masala (Quick & Easy)
    • Three glasses of mango mousse on a blue background. The mango mousse cups are garnished with mango puree, pistachios and rose petals. On the top right corner is a napkin, and on the top left corner is a small bowl of pistachios.
      Easy Mango Mousse with Cardamom (No Eggs or Gelatin)
    • Cardamom Jam Thumbprint cookies in a white platter. In front of the platter are two jam cookies, and one has a bite in it. There are also two cardamom pods next to the cookies. On the back is a jar of raspberry jam.
      Cardamom jam thumbprint cookies | Bakery jam biscuits
    • A cooling rack placed diagonally with nan khatai on top of it.
      Nan Khatai (Khalifa style) | Cardamom flavored shortbread biscuits

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Maham says

      April 10, 2022 at 12:20 am

      Super helpful

      Reply
    2. Sarah Rehman says

      May 05, 2019 at 11:35 pm

      Lovely! Thank you!

      Reply
    3. Esraa says

      April 05, 2019 at 2:57 am

      Seems to me a useful Ramadan meal planner for Sehr especially. But anything specific for the Ramadan in summers?

      Reply
    4. Sana Sami says

      April 04, 2019 at 3:42 pm

      This is awesome! Saved both the plans!

      Reply
    5. Tasmiyah says

      May 23, 2018 at 10:22 pm

      This is a really good meal plan! And very basic but much needed tips for Ramzaan! Most people don’t realise where they go wrong in their diet during ramzaan and end up with bloating and indigestion. Just because you will fast doesn’t mean that you fill yourself up with truck loads of food! We are not camels after all ?

      Reply
      • kiran says

        May 24, 2018 at 7:54 am

        Exactly! Thank you for appreciating 🙂

        Reply

    Trackbacks

    1. 10 Tips to Prepare for Ramadan 2021 & Make the Most Out Of It says:
      April 18, 2021 at 12:17 am

      […] during Ramadan will mean that you might miss some fasts. Here’s a beautiful meal planner by mirchitales that will help it easier for you to decide what to cook for sehri and iftar. You can also make some […]

      Reply

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    Hi, I'm Kiran!

    Welcome to my kitchen. Here you will find Pakistani and Indian recipes along with delicious tea time desserts. I am all about putting a modern twist to traditional South Asian recipes for the contemporary kitchen.

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